WOODSTOCK, GA - Chub Frank of Sugar Grove, PA picked up the biggest winofhis career Saturday night with a $55,000 victory in the rain-shortened 13thAnnual Hardee's Shootout for the United Dirt Track Racing Association ProDirtCar Series in front of one of the largest crowds in the history of DixieSpeedway.

Frank started seventh in the Corry Rubber Rocket/Draime Monte Carlo, andwas involved in a race that resembled a derailed train, as the 26 cars thatstarted were scattered everywhere battling for position two and three widearound the 3/8-mile clay oval.

Frank fell back to eighth early in the race, but after a couple ofdouble-file restarts "Chubzilla" had charged up to the front of the pack,and passed early race leader Skip Arp of Georgetown, TN for the lead on lap15. Arp came back to pass Frank for the lead on lap 45, but it was Frank,who came back on the outside to take the lead again on lap 46.

Rain began to fall during a caution period at the 80-lap mark of thescheduled 100-lap UDTRA Pro DirtCar Series season finale, and seriesofficials called it a complete race.

"I started doing a rain dance at lap 74," Frank said. "This is the biggestwin of my career, and this will really help our team. We'll get to eatsteak this week. Those double-file restarts really helped us early in therace, especially when we were on the outside."

With the Shootout win, on top of the $55,000 top prize, Frank will receivea $100 bonus and free entry fee at each UDTRA Pro DirtCar event he attendsin 2003.

Arp stayed close to Frank after losing the lead on lap 46, but had tosettle for second in the Charter Communications/Crown Fiber GRT/Gaerte GrandPrix.

"We were set up to run the inside groove, but Mickey Swims did a great jobin preparing the race track, and we could run anywhere on the track," Arpsaid. "I wish we could run radios because my crew could have told me Ishould have been running the outside. Chub was real fast out there!"

The defending and two-time Hardee's Shootout Champion and 1999 UDTRAChampion Dale McDowell of Rossville, GA brought his Larry Shaw Race CarsRocket by Shaw/Custom Grand Prix home in the third spot, and was second inthe 2002 UDTRA Pro DirtCar Series point standings.

Shannon Babb of Decatur, IL spun on lap four, went to the tail of the 26-carfield, and rallied to finish sixth in the Car City Company Rayburn/Pro PowerMonte Carlo. Randle Chupp of Mooresville, NC was seventh in the Biscotti'sRestaurant and Winery/Park Ohio Rocket/Draime Grand Prix.

Steve Francis of Ashland, KY finished eighth in the Valvoline/Mopar PartsRocket/Stanton Intrepid, and Jimmy Mars of Elk Mound, WI started his JimmyMars Racing Mastersbilt/Pro Power Monte Carlo in the 19th spot and finishedninth. Francis and Mars will finish third and fourth respectively in theUDTRA point standings. Steve Shaver of Parkersburg, WV rounded out the topten in the Richard Construction Rocket/Malcuit Monte Carlo.

With weather radar showing showers moving into the area, the starting fieldwas hastily assembled after an adjustment in the program, the green flagfell, and the action was fast and furious. McDowell grabbed the point fromthe outside of row one at the start of the race, but it was polesitter Arpwho drove under McDowell in turn four to lead lap one.

Debris in turn one on lap four slowed the field under caution. Arp ledMcDowell, Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, FL, Babb, and 1997 UDTRA andShootout Champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, AR down for the green flag onthe restart.

Babb spun in turn two, collecting the cars of Scott Sexton of Pigeon Forge,TN, Rex Richey of Ringgold, GA, and a pair of UDTRA Champions, Freddy Smithof Knoxville, TN and Rick Eckert of York, PA. Babb, Richey and Eckert wouldrejoin the race, but the 1996 UDTRA Champion Smith was done for the nightwith damage to his Christenberry Trucking and Farms Warrior/Custom MonteCarlo.

Eckert, who clinched his second straight UDTRA Championship on October 5inCumberland, MD, had a rough weekend after setting fast time on Friday nightfor the Shootout. Eckert spun in his heat race, did not transfer throughthe Polaris ATVs Consolation Race on Saturday night, had to take aprovisional and start 25th.

Eckert finished the race in the 14th spot, the worst finish of the seasonfor the driver of the Raye Vest Rocket/Cornett Taurus, but it was goodenough to earn the Advance Auto Parts Hard Charger of the Race Award.

Pearson was on the outside of the double-file formation on the next restart,and pulled alongside Arp to challenge for the lead. Just as looked likePearson would take the point in turn three, his car jolted to the right witha mechanical failure and slowed to a stop in turn one.

After repairs to his Lucas Oil/Dunn-Benson Ford Rocket/Eatmon Taurus,Pearson would return to competition 11 laps down, and he finished 20th.Pearson, who won the Isky Fast Qualifiers Dash on Friday night at DixieSpeedway, will finish fifth in the UDTRA point standings.

The next double-file restart in front of the SPEED Channel cameras saw thetop ten drivers reshuffle the deck for positions. Moyer dropped from fourthto seventh, Frank went from fifth to third, and Shaver dropped from thirdtoeighth.

The 1995 Shootout Champion Bill Frye of Greenbrier, AR stalled his PetroffTowing GRT/Kuntz Taurus in turn one while running tenth to bring out thefourth caution flag on lap 13. On the restart, the green gave way to thefifth caution flag when Richey had a cut tire on his Underground Plumbingand Service Rocket/Race Tech Monte Carlo in turn one.

Frank made beneficial use of the outside groove on the restart to pull alongside Arp to battle for the lead, while Wallace climbed up into the thirdspot. Frank took the lead from Arp with an outside move coming off thesecond turn on lap 15. By lap 20, it was Frank leading Arp, Wallace,McDowell, Moyer, Chupp, Birkhofer, Francis, Mars, and Shaver.

Ray Cook of Brasstown, NC climbed into the tenth spot on lap 25, and theleaders were in lapped traffic by the 28th lap. Cook's run in the top tenwas short lived, as he slowed to bring out the caution flag on lap 30 withacut right-rear tire on his Youngblood Concrete Mastersbilt/Cornett Taurus.

Cook would return to the race to finish 12th, and he finished in the eighthspot in the point standings, his eighth consecutive top-ten point positionin UDTRA competition.

The 1993 UDTRA Champion Clint Smith of Senoia, GA broke the suspension onhis JP Contracting GRT/Race Tech Monte Carlo on the restart to bring outtheseventh caution flag, but on the next restart, several drivers got back towheeling and dealing side-by-side.

Moyer passed McDowell for the fourth spot on the restart, and Mars went tothe outside groove to pass both McDowell and Moyer. But coming off thefourth turn, Mars got sideways in front of the rest of the field. Somehow,nobody hit Mars while he gathered up his car, but he lost several positions,and fell out of the top ten.

By lap 35, Babb had climbed back up to the seventh spot, and Chupp fell fromsixth spot back to tenth. Moyer worked the outside on Wallace for the thirdspot, and made the pass for the position in turn four on lap 42.

Meanwhile up front, Arp began to pressure Frank for the lead, and workedunder him coming off turn two, and took the lead going down the backstretchon lap 45. Frank was up to the challenge, as he motored back around theoutside of Arp to retake the lead on lap 46.

This side-by-side exchange among the top two drivers enabled Moyer to closein and make it a three-car battle for the lead on lap 50. When the fieldtook the crossed flags signal at the halfway point, it was Frank, Arp andMoyer battling for the lead, followed by Wallace, McDowell, Birkhofer, Babb,Francis, Mars, and Chupp.

Wallace began to fade on lap 60 when McDowell passed him for the fourthspot, and Birkhofer passed Wallace on lap 62 to move up into the top five.On lap 70, Arp got caught behind a lapped car, and Moyer pounced tochallenge for second.

Just as Moyer was about to make a move, the right-front corner of hisPetroff Towing/J&J Steel Mastersbilt/Dickens Taurus collapsed, and the carnosed hard into the first turn wall to bring out the eighth caution flag.Moyer was not injured, but his car was done for the night.

Lamar Haygood of Douglasville, GA stalled his ABS Automotive Rocket/BishopGrand Prix in turn two on the restart to turn on the caution light for theninth time. During this caution flag, a light drizzle began to fall fromthe Georgia sky, but UDTRA officials still found the racing surface safeforcompetition.

Frank pulled out to a 10 car-length lead over Arp after the restart, thebiggest lead he had all race long. Babb moved up to battle Wallace for thefifth spot on lap 77. Patrick Duggan of Lenoir City, TN stalled his D&RConstruction GRT/B&B Grand Prix in turn two on lap 81 for the tenth cautionflag.

During this caution period, the light drizzle turned into a steady rain,andUDTRA officials brought out the checkered flag when the track became tooslick to race on.

The 2002 Lucas Oil Rookie of the Race was Billy Ogle Jr. of Knoxville, TN,who finished 15th in the Calhoun's Restaurant GRT/Clements Monte Carlo.Ogle is the 2002 Lucas Oil Rookie of the Year and he finished ninth overallin the UDTRA point standings.

Two drivers that failed to make the main event for the Hardee's Shootout,Randy Korte of Highland, IL and Shane Tankersley of Morganton, GA finishedseventh and tenth respectively in the 2002 UDTRA point standings.

Mars won the first 15-lap Polaris ATVs Consolation Race and Sexton took thesecond Polaris ATVs consy in the Quality Heating and Air Mastersbilt/CustomGrand Prix. On Friday night, Arp, McDowell, Babb, Shaver, Chupp, andPearson won the six 15-lap heat races. McDowell won the JE Pistons BonusAward and Chupp took the Scott Performance Wires Bonus Award.

The next UDTRA action on SPEED Channel will be on Monday at 3 p.m. ET withaction from the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, WI.The 13th Annual Hardee's Shootout will air on November 21 at 11 p.m. ET.For the complete UDTRA SPEED Channel schedule and a direct feedback link,visit the UDTRA web site at www.udtra.com.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF THE 13TH ANNUAL HARDEE'S SHOOTOUT AT DIXIE SPEEDWAY INWOODSTOCK, GA ON 10/11-12/02: